Stepbrother: Scar Tissue - the Complete Serial (An Alpha Stepbrother Romance)

by Lillian Thorne

  “Leah.” His voice is low and rough, and I can feel it in my chest. My heart hammers as I look up at him, and he looks back at me. “Thanks.” He smiles. A real smile, not his cocky, arrogant smile, but a real one. From the heart.

  “I should be the one thanking you.” I say with a snort. “I don’t know what would’ve happened if you weren’t here.”

  I can feel his hand tense up as I talk, and when I look up at him, I can see the rage welling up in his eyes, flushing through his skin. It was the same look I saw when he went for Gabe.

  He cares for me. I know it. And after a week without seeing him, I know I care for him, too. But I guess I’ve always known that. I’ve always tried to ignore my feelings for Luke, always ran away from them when the welled up. That’s a lot of running for one person when your bedrooms share a wall, when you see them day after day.

  I can’t do it anymore. I’m tired of it. I’m tired of running away from what I want.

  I finish wrapping his hand and look back up at him. My breath catches in my chest. How could someone be so beautiful? My eyes flit across his handsome face, to his eyes, to his strong, stubbled jaw, to his wide chin, and then up to his lips.

  I want to taste them again, feel them, wet against on my flesh. My tongue slides between my lips, anticipating, waiting.

  “You’re beautiful, Leah.”

  I can feel myself blush, and I look away.

  “No need to be bashful, Leah.”

  I love the way he says my name. The way it rolls off his tongue, through his kissable lips and into my ears.

  He takes my chin in between his thumb and forefinger and directs my gaze back to him. He brushes my lower lip gently with his thumb then cups my cheek with his hand. I can smell the trace amount of cologne on his wrist, along his pulse point and an overwhelming sense of happiness courses through me. Every happy memory of Luke rushes back through me. It’s almost more joy than I can bear and I want to squeal. Jump up and down and dance like an idiot.

  A lovestruck idiot.

  “I mean it.” He says without breaking eye contact or even blinking.

  Gray. His eyes look slate gray at this distance with strands of blue. They’re soft and compassionate eyes. Although, maybe passionate would be a better descriptor. Both of his eyes and of him. There’s passion in everything he does. It shows in his eyes, in the way he carries himself. He’s always had it. I admired him for it, envied him even because I never had that same passion. Or, I guess I should say: I had passion before. But it was stricken from me by Judith.

  I always wanted to be an artist. I used to draw and paint all the time. I had passion. But it’s hard to be passionate about anything when you have a stepmother like Judith. When she makes you second-guess your worth. Makes you feel insecure and worthless. It’s draining. Demoralizing, even.

  But now I can finally feel that part of me speak up. It’s faint, but I can hear it when I see Luke. When I think about what the future may hold now that Judith’s gone. Now that I’m free, finally escaping this vicious cycle I’ve been caught in for so long.

  Right now, all I see is Luke.

  His thumb circles my cheek gently as he holds my face in his hand; the rest of his fingers weave their way into my hair.

  “I’m going to kiss you now.” He tells me.

  A smile flickers on my face as breath comes to me in quick bursts. There’s no way he can’t hear my heart beating; it’s all I can hear right now. My head throbs with every beat, but I wouldn’t have it any other way because… I’m happy.

  I’m truly happy. It’s strange thinking that, but even stranger feeling it. It has been a long time since I’ve felt this way.

  I could get used to this.

  “Okay,” is all I can manage, but it’s more than enough.

  He leans in, and our lips touch. It’s gentle at first, but then it evolves into something that is less a kiss than a forceful merging of two mouths. I can’t tell where my mouth ends and his begins and at this point it doesn’t even matter. Nothing matters except for this moment.

  My hands find their way to his back, and I dig with my nails. They slide against his skin, and I can only imagine the red marks that now line his back. He doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t even care.

  He grabs a fistful of my hair and pulls down. Our lips and tongues disentangle themselves from each other’s, and I gasp for much-needed air.

  My core is on fire, and my thoughts, incoherent. It’s hard to think when someone as hot as Luke is making out with you.

  His eyes dart across my face as he holds my hair like a mother cat holds her child by the scruff. I’m immobile—completely under his control—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “You’re so fucking sexy, Leah.” He rasps.

  His lips dive back in and my back arches reactively to his lips gently sucking my neck. My breath catches in my chest as he nibbles my earlobe.

  “Luke, fuck me.” I breathe as he kisses me along my collarbone. “Please.” I beg.

  He pulls away from me.

  Did I say something wrong?

  He stands up and swipes everything off the kitchen table behind us. Metal and glass crash to the floor. Then, in one fluid motion, he picks me up and sets me down on the space he just cleared.

  “Ever been fucked on a table before?” He growls; his hands rip the front of my tank top in half as if it were paper.

  I shake my head as I bite my lower lip. I’m so turned on by how strong he is, how animalistic and primal it all seems. I’ve never…

  I’ve never felt this way before. My body is on fire.

  “This won’t be the last.”

  He pulls his shirt off over his head as I remove my tattered tank top. I can’t tear my eyes away from his perfect v-taper or his abs. Nor what’s underneath his pants, bulging, throbbing, inches in front of me.

  His body is perfection.

  I’m ruined. How can I go back to anyone else after this? Luke is a breed all his own—unmatched. Everyone after this will be mediocre at best. But I don’t want to go back to anyone else. Luke is the only one I want.

  “God damn, Leah. You’re so sexy.” He says as he pulls down my bra. “I can’t control myself when I’m around you.”

  I fling my head back as his lips encircle my pebbled nipple, sucking hard. He nibbles them gently, sending short, quick bursts of pleasure through me.

  But those quick bursts are overshadowed as I feel Luke’s hand find its way to my mound.

  “Oh, fuck!” I squeal as his middle finger slides over my nub, shockwaves spreading throughout my body.

  “You like that?”

  I can’t talk. I can’t think. All I can do is feel, feel my orgasm welling up inside me.

  He slides a finger inside me.

  “Come for me, Leah.”

  My body begins to quiver and shake as I come on his fingers.

  “That’s it.” He says, his finger still working its magic inside me. He pulls away from my quivering body.

  “Now strip.” He demands.

  Still reeling, I remove my bra and toss it to the floor. I watch as it falls, landing where they found Judith. My stomach feels sick. I don’t want the first time Luke fucks me to be tainted by her.

  “Wait.” I say.

  “What?”

  I nod to where they found Judith. He looks over his shoulder and shakes his head.

  “Your room or mine?”

  I don’t even have to think about it. I’ve fantasized about this for so long that it comes out instantaneously. “Yours.”

  I want to see what it’s like to be on the other side of the wall, to be the one who’s screaming his name, not listening to it.

  He grabs my hand and pulls me into him. We stumble backward as we kiss. I can feel his hard cock through his pants, rubbing against my stomach. I grab onto it as we continue our slow dance to his bedroom.

  We hardly make it out of the kitchen before he says, fuck it, and throws me onto the couch.

  I
fall onto my back, and he kneels down in front of me. He fingers the band of my panties and pulls them off, tossing them behind his head.

  My back arches and my legs grip Luke’s head in between them as his pursed lips find my sensitive nub. My body shakes and writhes, attempting to deal with the sensory overload.

  “I’m… I’m..”

  Noises I’ve never made before come from my mouth as my body shakes.No one has ever made me come this hard. I look down and see Luke’s eyeing me, that cocky smirk back on his face. He knows what he’s doing. He’s done it to so many girls before me. And right now, I don’t even care.

  “Enjoying yourself?”

  Enjoying myself? Hah! He knows damn well I’m enjoying myself as I’m laying here, still writhing, still basking in the pleasurable afterglow.

  “No?” He asks, playfully, in response to my silence. “I guess I should get going then.”

  “Luke!” I squeal as he begins to stand up. There’s that grin again. And there it goes, igniting my center.

  “Just kidding.”

  He pounces on me and we kiss. It’s rough and forceful and everything I never thought I’d want from a kiss. Our tongues dance and twist, exploring each other’s mouth while Luke’s hand is wrapped around my throat, pinning me to the couch.

  I wrap my legs around him as my nails dig new lines into his back.

  My lips break away from his and I whisper, “Fuck me.”

  His eyes flit to mine and then moments later, I feel his cock thrust deep inside me.

  “You’re so tight, Leah.” He growls as his hands grip tight against my waist, pulling me, guiding me closer to him.

  “You feel so good inside me.” The couch scrapes against the floor with each thrust; the lamp on the end table next to us crashes to the floor.

  It’s happening again. That feeling. That incredible orgasm. It’s building. Deeper this time and even more intense.

  I look up at Luke, he’s straining, nearing the same edge as me but he doesn’t stop. In and out, in and out, deeper and deeper until I can’t bear it anymore.

  It washes over me, everything around me seems to fade. I feel Luke’s cock pulsate inside me as he fills me with his seed, leaving my body quivering, aching for more.

  He collapses on me and we lay on the couch together, entangled in each other’s arms.

  We stay like that for a while until he finally breaks the silence.

  “Leah.” He whispers into my ear. His breath is warm against my skin.

  “Yes?”

  “I want you to live with me.” My heart flutters and my breath hitches because I want the same thing. I want to get out of this town, go somewhere far, far away and begin again. A new life and a fresh start.

  Luke, although he can be domineering at times, he can also be sweet. And he truly does want the best for me. I’ve been so caught up with something that happened years ago, that I misunderstood, that I’ve been blinded to the good in him. All I saw was the bad, exaggerated it even. I painted a picture of him that wasn’t entirely true.

  Besides, what do I really have to lose by going with him? It will get me out of this town, away from the past I can’t seem to outrun. If things go sour, I could leave.

  But are you certain he didn’t kill his own mother? The more rational part of me questions.

  There’s no way Luke would ever harm anyone. Well, except for Gabe. That was different. He attacked me. Twice.

  How different is Gabe from Judith? She’s been poisoning you for years. It retorts.

  No. I’m not afraid of Luke.

  Everything Miles told me was circumstantial.

  “I can get you a job, get you back on your feet.” He strokes my head. Goose bumps pop up on my arms and back. “No strings attached. If it doesn’t work out, or if you want something different, I’ll help you with whatever you need. I promise. I just want to make it up to you for not being there. What do you think?”

  I think I’m going to say yes. Scratch that. Of course, I’m going to say yes. But I don’t want him to see how excited I am.

  I flip over to face him. His eyes soften as he looks at me.

  “Can I think about it?” I ask, even though I know I won’t have to.

  “Take all the time you need.” He tells me as he twirls a tendril of hair around one of his fingers.

  I lay my head flat against his chest and think for the first time in my life everything will be okay. Everything is going to be fine.

  I close my eyes and fall asleep.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  LEAH

  I COULDN’T HAVE BEEN asleep for more than a few minutes before I hear a loud pounding on the

  “This is the police!” A voice booms from the other side of the door. “Open up.” It demands. “We have a warrant for the arrest of Luke Hammond.”

  The expressions on both of our faces are: What the fuck is going on?

  My heart hammers in unison with the pounding on the door. This can’t be happening. Why is this happening?

  “It’s going to be okay,” Luke says, trying to comfort me. “I promise.” He takes my face in his hands as tears stream down my cheeks. The pounding on the door, the booming of voices outside, all of it is drowned out by Luke’s voice. He’s all I see, all I hear. “I need you to take my phone. Call Gretchen and have her contact my lawyer. Everything will be sorted in a few hours.”

  He grabs his pants from the floor and retrieves his phone from his pocket. He hands it to me. My hands are shaky and I nearly drop it. “Call Gretchen.” He repeats with stern eyes and an even sterner voice. “Now go. Head upstairs before they see you.”

  His eyes scan my body one last time before he puts on his pants.

  I can’t run upstairs and hide; they’d see me through the window. I walk to the dining room behind us. It’s of sight from the front door, but close enough for me to hear whatever happens. I lean back against the wall, clutching Luke’s phone against my chest, then slide down to the floor.

  “Well, howdy officers.” Luke lilts as he opens the door. “What can I do you for?”

  Why wasn’t he taking this seriously? I mean, this wasn’t something to take lightly. Miles is hellbent on pinning this murder on him, no matter how circumstantial the evidence is.

  “Luke Hammond,” a voice I don’t recognize booms. “You’re under arrest for the assault of Gabe Harris and for the suspected murder of Judith Hammond.”

  “Is this funny to you, Luke?” Another voice asks. Miles’s voice.

  I can hear Luke chuckling as handcuffs zip around his wrists. “That you think I’d waste energy on Gabe without reason? That you think I killed Judith. Yeah. It is funny, detective.”

  I want to rush out there, tell Miles that he’s wrong, that Luke saved me from Gabe and that he never laid a finger on Judith. But it wouldn’t help. Not to mention, I’d have to find a way to explain why I’m completely naked while my stepbrother is half-naked.

  Instead, I sit here. Sit against the cold wall and wait for them to leave so I can call Gretchen and figure out what the hell to do about everything.

  I thought everything was going to be fine. Why couldn’t I just run away with Luke. Why is the rug always ripped out from under me when something good finally happens to me. I tap the back of my head against the wall as I wait for them to leave.

  I don’t have to wait long. They’re gone within minutes.

  I look down at Luke’s phone and touch the screen. It prompts me to enter the passcode.

  “Seriously?” I say to the empty room.

  I fling my head back and sigh. Why didn’t he tell me the passcode? Seriously.

  I rack my brains, trying to figure out what it could be.

  I enter his name: 5853. Denied.

  I enter his birthday: 3991. Denied.

  Maybe… : 5324. Denied. My name. Wishful thinking, I guess.

  I drop the phone on the floor and kick it away from me. It slides and spins across the floor. I don’t know what to do. I guess I sho
uld probably get some clothes on and head down to the station. They’d let me see him, right? At the very least I could ask them to get the code to his phone from him. Something. He gets one phone call though, right?

  I let out a deep sigh.

  I look at the phone as it sits against the wall on the other side of the room.

  One last shot. I’ll give it one last shot before I go.

  With the phone in my hand, I enter the final combination that comes to mind: 7791. My birthday.

  The numbers disappear and I’m met with a picture of both of us on the home screen.

  We’re at the beach, our skin, sun-kissed, and wind blowing in our hair wildly. I remember that day. It was one of the few times I was happy. Actually happy. All of us spent the day at Galveston beach. It’s not the best beach by any means, but it was the closest and we made the best of it. We were so burned by the end of it that it even bending an arm or leg was painful. But you can’t tell that from the photograph.

  I was happy. Happy that I was spending time with Luke.

  I shake myself out of it as I remember what I need to do: Call Gretchen.

  I get her on the phone and tell her everything that happened. Well, most of it anyway. I skipped the part where Luke fucked me, even though a part of me wanted to hear her reaction.

  She probably wouldn’t have believed it anyway. Whatever. She’s on her way over now, and she’s getting in touch with Luke’s lawyer.

  All I have to do is wait for her. Just wait.

  Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

  How the hell can I do that when Luke’s locked up? I can’t just sit here and wait. I want to do something. Ugh. But there’s nothing I can do. With my luck, I’ll somehow find a way to make things worse. Gretchen’s right. I just need to sit here and wait.

  After retrieving my clothes and dressing, changing my ripped tank top for another, I head back downstairs.

  There’s a knock on the door before I reach the bottom step.

  It’s Mrs. O’Malley. Her hair looks silver in the moonlight.

  I smile at her as I open the door. I ask how she’s doing and a smile flickers on her face.

  “Oh, call me Constance, dear. None of this Mrs. O’Malley.” She waves her arm in front of her as though she’s batting a fly. “I’m fine, anyways. How are you?” Her voice is soft but strangely comforting.